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“You said this was an emergency,” Bruce prompted, staring down the Kryptonian and martian. They had asked for this meeting, and he had answered their call after a very long night on patrol—he figured fatigue was the only reason Dick wasn't bouncing around looking at everything and introducing himself to everyone on the Watchtower already—but if they didn't start talking soon, he was leaving.
“Uh, yes,” Superman began. “We...”
“Have apparently never seen a child before,” Bruce muttered, shaking his head. “I thought the stunned, speechless one would be Robin, not two supposed superheroes.”
“It's not that we're speechless,” Superman said. “It—I'd heard rumors, but the last thing I expected was to have you answer an emergency call with your... sidekick.”
“Translation—this is time for the grownups to talk and the kid to go home. I told you they wouldn't want me. No one does,” Robin muttered. He rubbed the side of his head and Bruce frowned again.
“This isn't about wanting you. I'm still not convinced you don't have a concussion, and I want to be able to monitor you,” Bruce told him. He knew Dick was rolling his eyes behind his mask—he'd been insisting all night that the guy barely hit him, but Bruce didn't feel like taking any chances, especially with Alfred not at the manor to check on Dick if something should happen.
“You're just using that as an excuse,” Dick said, and Bruce had to shrug. He supposed he might have been because he wanted to keep Dick close, but he didn't care.
“Emergency,” Bruce said, addressing the others again.
“Are you... reciting facts about elephants?”
Dick shrugged. “I like elephants. Zitka is the best.”
The martian turned to Bruce. “He seems uninjured to me. His ability to block my passive scan is impressive, and I do not think he would be blocking me so effectively if he was injured.”
“See? I'm fine.”
Bruce grunted. “That remains to be seen. As does whether or not our presence here was even necessary.”
“It is,” the martian said, and the Kryptonian frowned at him. Apparently one of them disagreed on whether or not he should be there—or if Robin should be. “We do not have much time. Already the situation in Qurac grows desperate.”
“Because of Bialya?”
“We believe so,” Clark said, grimacing, “but we don't think we'll be able to prove it.”
Bruce nodded. “Let's go.”
“Did we,” Robin stopped to yawn, “get them all?”
Bruce smiled, unable to stop the reaction despite the suit he was wearing. His son had proved his critics wrong tonight, and that was worth smiling in the cowl. Anyone who doubted Robin's capability before could not do it now. The boy had done more than his fair share of the work, and they hadn't even wanted him along for this.
“Yes, Robin, we got them all.”
“'S good,” Dick said, slurring the word a bit. “Hey, Batman?”
“Yes?”
“Can we pretend I twisted my ankle?”
Bruce frowned. “Why would we do that?”
“Because I'm tired but I don't want them to think I'm a big baby if I lean on you a bit. Because I'm not. I'm not a baby. I'm not too young for this. I can do it,” Dick insisted, but then he looked up at Bruce, some of his insecurity showing despite his mask. “I did good, didn't I?”
“You did,” Bruce told him. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. “I'm proud of you. Very proud.”
“Proud enough to let me ride piggyback?”
“I thought you weren't really hurt.”
“I'm not. I'm just very, very tired,” Robin told him. He sighed as the Kryptonian and martian drew near to them. “Never mind. I don't want them thinking I'm just a kid... a baby.”
“You are far from it,” Bruce said. “Hop up. Now.”
Robin looked at him in surprise, bouncing a bit before launching himself at Bruce's back. He wrapped his arms around Bruce's neck and settled in against him. “Batman?”
“What?”
“It's okay if I fall asleep now, right?”
“Yes, it is. It's way past your bedtime,” Bruce answered, though he thought that Dick hadn't managed to stay awake long enough to hear the answer to that question. He adjusted his hold as he joined the others.
“Um...”
“Something wrong, Clark?”
“No, it's just...”
“He earned it,” Bruce said, daring the others to contradict him. Neither of them did.